My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, variety music, b*rtons and more!

My Wedding Review
LIW A+
LIW was my savior during wedding planning. Everyone is always so quick with advice, willing to listen to rants and give great suggestions. My wedding would have not been the same without LIW (although it probably would have been cheaper!)

East Wind A+ Veranda Room
I really recommend East Wind. I know they do multiple weddings but I never saw another bride and I never at any point felt like I wasn’t the center of attention. They have separate entrances for each room. Plus I was in the “smaller” room and not once did I feel less important then a bride who was having a bigger wedding or anything like that.
I really had no plans to visit East Wind as a possible venue. When my mom, sister and I went to look at venues we passed it and my mom begged me to go inside. I practically signed on the spot but I had to wait for my husband’s approval. Of course he approved. I loved the neutral colors, the long bar and the outdoor veranda. We booked the Veranda Room and we were supposed to have 160 people but had about 5 no shows. Supposedly the room can hold up to 190 but I’d say no more than 14 tables – after that it’s probably a little tight.
Our BM was Mike G, my Maitre’d was Suzanne and my bridal attendant was Mary Lou. All three were super helpful, answered all my questions and were very patient with me. Every time my beer was half empty Mary Lou would give me a fresh one and the same thing for my husband. Mary Lou kept reapplying my lipstick for me, helping me with my shoes and whenever I needed someone (my mom, sister, husband) she would instantly run off and help find them. Suzanne was great also, they both helped with my bustle. Suzanne took my veil off for me, made sure I was okay with everything and overall made my vision a reality. Also, I asked them to make sure I could get my hellos done in cocktail hour and requested if anyone had my ear too long to pull me away. It wasn’t needed but I saw them keeping an eye on me.
Since there was no wedding at the country gardens they allowed me to go there and take pictures. Normally though they say you can’t go there more than a half an hour before the start of your CH which was a little difficult because there aren’t too many indoor locations to take pictures in the case of rain in that area. My church was in Riverhead. If I got married in a church further west it probably would have been a little easier.
The only little, tiny complaint I have is where they put the cigar roller. They had him next to the DJ but I had requested they put him on the veranda where everyone would be smoking the cigars. It’s nothing major but it did bother me.
Save the Dates – Magnetstreet.com A+
These were by far the cheapest ones I found and they looked great. The only problem I had was that it said magnetstreet.com on them. I have found out since though that you can request that not be put on there.

Invitations – E*venS*arPaperie – A
I had a really hard time with invitations. I knew I wouldn’t have the patience to use glue dots to stick my invitations together and I wanted something where all the inserts had a place to go. The invitations I got with her are the ones that layer up inside the response envelope.
She did a great job making something with what I wanted for my invitations. There was a little problem with the original graphic (once I picked it – she couldn’t get it anymore!) but she had a designer make a new one at no additional charge. When I got my proof in the mail I made a lot of changes and she fixed all of them.
My problem with her is that she is not really all that flexible as far as her timing and so forth. The way she does it makes sense but there are no exceptions, ever. And she isn’t wrong. Just how it is. I didn’t have any problems but I can certainly see that about her. I did feel like it took a long time from when I placed my order to when I got my invitations. At the end of the day though – I loved them and got a lot of compliments on them.


Variety Music A+++
I was absolutely thrilled with variety music. Our package had the plasma TV’s with zap shots and montage, uplighting, lighted columns and front board. We had Sal and Serge as MC and DJ and we also had Mark for zap shots. All three were very personable and a lot of fun. The dance floor was never empty!
My husband is Colombian so we wanted Spanish music to be played, but blended in with everything else. The idea was that the last hour would be geared towards us – a little more clubby and fun. The rest of the time they did all types of music and really did a great job blending everything. If the dance floor started to clear out the music was changed.
One small negative was that for our first dance they played the wrong version of our wedding song. The song is Marry Me by Train, but they played the faster version. I didn’t really notice since I was swept up in everything but my husband did and it really bothered him. It was an honest mistake (in fact I think the faster version is called the first dance version) but since it was our first dance it was sort of a shame. They also seemed to rush through the anniversary dance but no one seemed to notice but me.
The other thing is that they started out doing the intros “bilingual.” It was partly my fault because we did discuss it in the beginning but decided not to do the bilingual announcements but I really don’t think I ever told the DJ. I honestly can’t remember.
The best part about the zap shots was that I got the disc that night. The next day I was able to see pictures which was kind of awesome.
I know someone at my wedding booked with them after seeing them. Their customer service is great. Leslie in the office is really nice and their prices are great. I highly recommend them.
Also – if you have any doubts about uplighting let me take them away. It was completely worth it.
This pic shows some of the uplighting



B*rtons Flowers – B+
My first meeting when was with Michael. He was great and really understood what I wanted. Their price just cant be beat. The thing about the flowers is that they get thrown away so I really didn’t want to spend a crazy amount of money on them. Plus, my sister was paying for them so I couldn’t be too crazy!
My next meeting which was to discuss my wedding flowers was with John. I really really really didn’t like him. He was very short, wouldn’t listen to what I wanted and kept telling me he knew what he was doing – he’s been doing it for 20 years blah blah blah. I literally left there and cried. They use a lot of fillers and I really didn’t want them.
The day of the wedding when the flowers were delivered I was instantly upset. My boK was supposed to be all pink with a few white callas – which it was and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I loved them. However, my BM’s boK’s were supposed to be mostly ivory with some hot pink callas. They problem was they put like two pink ones in – so they wound up looking like bridal boKs. Then they showed me the pew bows – which had ivory calla lilies and the flowers were still closed! It was a little funny at that point since my mom was like “Oh! They just didn’t open yet!” and I responded “Great, when are they going to open? Tomorrow? I need them today!”
These were the pew bows before they fixed them:

And these were the new ones:

They fixed them though. I live in Riverhead, they are in Melville (an hour drive), the flowers were delivered at 1230 and the photographer came at 1. By 1:15 someone else was there (the first guy would not have time to drive a round trip) added flowers to the BM’s boKs, fixed the pew bows and everything looked amazing.
I loved my centerpieces as well, they were beautiful! I did highs and lows. The highs were on spiral like stands with tea lights going up them and the lows were called reverse candelabra. The candles were higher than the flowers. Like I said before though, there was a little too much filler for my taste. But that’s also the price I paid!





These are not professional pictures:



Wedding Cake – Rolling Pin Bakery B +
My family has used Rolling pin a lot in the past so I was happy to hear that East Wind used them as the bakery. That faded pretty quickly.
I was pretty annoyed that they charged me to do a tasting. It’s not that expensive but really, you cant spare a tasting? I also contacted them about doing my grooms cake as well and they told me they couldn’t do the cake I wanted in my budget. I found another bakery who did the cake and delivery for LESS than my budget.
Now, I guess if you didn’t know what my cake was supposed to look like it was really pretty. But the cake I wanted was from their website, so shouldn’t they people able to make it look the same? I paid an extra $250.00 for the bow on the cake and it wasn’t what I wanted. Plus, I bought a brooch and it looked silly on my cake since I was picturing a much different kind of bow. I did get a lot of compliments but it just wasn’t what I expected or wanted really.
The plus side is that the cake was absolutely delicious. Like, amazing. We did chocolate cake with white chocolate and chocolate fudge filling. Very chocolaty I know but it made me happy LOL!
This was the bow I wanted:
This was the cake I got:


Grooms Cake – Black forest bakery – A+
Since I was so unhappy with Rolling Pin I talked to black forest about my grooms cake. They were beyond helpful and really did me a favor since they don’t normally deliver as far as East Wind. When I called the girl who answered was super helpful and answered all my millions of questions.
The cake looked great, tasted great and my husband LOVED it. I’m a Met fan so I earned lots of brownie points. The way I did it was after we did the wedding cake the DJ started talking to him and asked him if he was a Met fan. DH was very offended by this question! They started playing Empire State of Mind and brought out the cake “compliments” of the bride. I was afraid the cake might be too simple but people absolutely raved about it.


Hair & Makeup – Makeovers by Jean A+
My sister and sister in law both used jean for their weddings so when it came time for me I knew I’d use her. She is now my regular hair girl. She did my hair, all the girls make up and then she had another girl who did hair only and a third girl there to prep everyone (make curls). It ran very smooth and everyone looked great. We had about 10 girls and 4 flower girls so there were a lot of people to finish! My hair fell flat but she warned me it would. I partied hard in the party bus and I never sprayed it throughout the day like she told me too. I was very happy with how everything came out. She also did my blow out and make up for my engagement pictures which came out great as well.




These are not professional pics:




La Rosa Cubana – A
The reason I am only giving them an A is because communication with them is tough. You have to be very persistent with them. I was actually a little nervous they wouldn’t show up. I honestly think they have a problem with their email because it was always much faster when I called then when I emailed. At one point I received an email from them asking what time to be at the reception, and I responded the same day. A week later they emailed me – they never got my email the first time around.
Despite the communication issues, they were a lot cheaper than other cigar companies. They came dressed great, on time, they were great with my guests and they made extra cigars since the cigars went so fast. I was told the cigars were great and they were a huge hit. I’m really glad I booked them.



Ovation Photo Booth – A
The photo booth was actually a gift from my bridesmaids. I had been thinking about getting one and this was one of the companies I looked into. My mom knew so when the BP decided to do it this is who they went with.
They got me the booth, props, the guest received a copy of the picture and I got a copy in the scrapbook. I also received a disc with all the pictures.
I don’t know how booking went but the day of the wedding the two attendants were great. They were very polite to me, handled my drunk guests very well and made a great scrap book. I loved having the scrapbook – it really helps capture how much fun people had at my wedding.
My only problem was that the booth was a little small. It was hard to fit more than three people or so.
Favors – A+
We did champagne glasses with our names on it for a favor. I got them for a great price at discountmugs.com. Even considering shipping they were WAY cheaper then anywhere else. The only problem was that I guess people didn’t realize they should take them. When I talked to people they said they would have taken some if they knew they were able too! I gave some out after the wedding was over to them.
We also did bunuelos which is a Colombian breakfast food, inside a coffee mug and put a breast cancer awareness bookmark inside since we made a donation. It was a hit and his family loved that I found a way to bring something Colombian into the wedding. When I first met him his grandmother made them and it was like the only Spanish food I would eat. OF course, now I eat it all! Haha
I got the mugs at ikea for like .80 cents each or something. The bunuelos came from somewhere in brentwood I have no idea where – DH took car of that. I put them inside clear plastic bags with a little note explaining the donation and what the bunuelo was.





Bridal Gown – Fantasia Bridal, Rocky Point
Dress – Maggie Sottero Mona Lisa Royale
I walked into the store having NO IDEA what type of dress I wanted. I thought I wanted something sort of simply, soft and I didn’t want to end up with a typical ball gown.
I worked with Stephanie and she was great. I was open to trying on anything so I literally stood in the dressing room while my mom, sister, sister in law and “adopted”mother just handed me dresses. What was great about Stephanie is that she really picked up on what I liked and didn’t like about dresses. I was in the salon for about 4 or 5 hours. She actually picked my dress. I slept on it for a week, went back and got the dress.
When I started for alterations I hated my dress. I don’t know why I just did. I cried for like three days after my fitting. The second fitting was a little better and the third was the best. However, putting it on the day of my wedding I loved it. I guess I needed the whole thing – hair, makeup, veil.
Marie in alterations was great. My mom was a little tough sometimes but Marie is pretty tough herself. She knows what she’s doing and she knows she knows what she is doing. Hopefully that makes sense. If you can get past her kind of toughness she really is great.




Bridesmaid Dresses – Bridal Suite of Centereach - A
The way I handled picking the bridesmaid dresses was by going with only my sister and having her try on dresses. The girls were very helpful here when trying on dresses. I had a lot of trouble picking my colors so this is where I really made my final pick on colors. I picked my dresses and then called around for prices and Bridal Suite was the cheapest. I picked a day; my girls went in, got measured and bought their dresses. It honestly was a pretty painless process.
When the dresses came in I got a card in the mail. The girls went on their own time to get the dresses altered. I didn’t really hear any complaints about the dresses except every single girl’s dress was a little too long. They didn’t go together so I really don’t understand how that happened?
I loved the dresses and I thought each girl looked great in the dress.



MOB dress – Angel Bridal, East Islip A
My mom picked this place since she went here for her dress for my brother’s wedding. I really didn’t like them. I thought the women who ran it were really snotty and kind of rude. I felt very nervous and on edge while I was in there. I didn’t feel they were welcoming at all.
That being said my mom did find her dress there and it was beautiful. She had them add some sparkle to it and it looked great.

Tuxedos – R.S.V.P Tuxedos, Bay Shore A+
When it came to tuxes I really didn’t want to pick anything expensive because really I wanted a pretty traditional tux and I did think anyone would notice if I chose the more expensive options. What I liked here was I was not given a book to look at like I was at Karakos and Mens Warehouse. I was able to see everything put together. DH’s tux was free and we got some of the more expensive options for him.
The guys had no problems with their tuxes and they were exactly what I expected. Absolutely NO problems.




Flower girl dresses – Flowergirldressforless.com
Great dress, great price, fast shipping. Cant say more than that! The dresses were about 50 bucks. They came with sashes but I lost one so I wound up getting different sashes in davids bridal. I don’t have pictures of the back but the sash pulls into a bow.


MOG Dress – Wedding Center
I know this place has mixed reviews but my MIL waited to the last minute to order her dress and she was a budget. They were pretty helpful to us but MIL was super easy to work with. She really didn’t need any alterations – just the hem but I don’t think she had them done there. The dress came in exactly when she was told it would and looked great on her.


Shoes – A ++++
I just want to show them off – they were a gift. Kate Spade. HUGE hit.


Thomas Paul Photography - A
I met with a lot of photographers before booking TP. I knew right away that I was going to book him just from our meeting. He wasn’t the cheapest but he wasn’t the most expensive either.
His customer service is excellent and he gave very quick responses. He was always willing to answer my questions and was always available when I needed him to be. He is pretty honest, if there is a problem he’ll let you know. My 2nd photographer got lost on the way to DH’s house and was really late. As soon as TP walked into my house he told me about it. Also, my wedding pictures came a lot later then expected and TP was very apologetic and explained to me what happened (they lost power because of the hurricane.)
He was fabulous with me and my shoes! I broke my toe like a day before the wedding so wearing my shoes was really really painful. HE would tell me when I could take ‘em off and when I needed them. Him and Colleen were great dealing with my drunk bridal party. There were great, fun shots of the guys. I feel like Colleen let them be fun and silly and I absolutely LOVE the pics from them.
My pictures were beautiful but I was missing some shots. I should have made a must take list but I honestly ran out of time. Some of the pictures though I would think I didn’t need to say. For example, there is no picture of DH with my ring bearer. There is also no pic of him with both of his best men. I would have like a pic with me, DH, MOH and both BM but that didn’t happen.
The thing about TP is that he knows what pictures he wants and he doesn’t play around all that much. For me it was fine, but some of my girls and my mom especially felt rushed. My mom planted all these flowers in front of the house and she wanted pictures outside so bad – and he couldn’t do it because of the light or something, which I understand. Part of me wishes though he would have just taken the picture to appease her.





DIY Projects
I made cry packs, programs, slipper basket, menus and my sister made my table numbers. Pretty much all the supplies came from michaels. The slippers were a big hit! If you have the budget I’d say go for it.






Hopefully I covered everything! If you have any questions send me a message! There really is no vendor I would say to stay away from, they all did great.

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

MOG dress:

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Very nice I love your bouquet

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Everything looked gorgeous. Congrats!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Everything came out great. Love your pics. You were a beauitful bride. Congrats!!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Wonderful review. I am a hot pink bride too and I LOVE how you tied everything together. Looks amazing and you looked beautiful.

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Great review! you looked gorgeous!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Gorgeous wedding!!! Great review-congratulations!!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Beautiful!!! Congratulations!!!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

everything looked wonderful! congrats!!!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Very Very nice, and Congrats!!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Looks awesome!! Where did you get the nypd shield cufflinks?

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Nypins.com

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Great review!!! Everything looked gorgeous!!! Really love your shoes and Mr and Mrs candles.

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Great review!! I love all the pink and I love love love your shoes!!!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

amazing review, so happy for you!!

I am getting married in the veranda room in 2013 and was so happy to read your review ! :)

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, b*rtons and more!

Great review! you looked gorgeous!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, variety music, b*rtons and more!

Congrats!!!!! Everything looks fantastic!!!!

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, variety music, b*rtons and more!

great review....everything looked beautiful.

Re: My 8/20/11 wedding: east wind, thomas paul, variety music, b*rtons and more!

wowww everything looks amazinggggggggg